Roddy White apologizes for post-Zimmerman verdict tweet

Posted by Josh Alper on July 14, 2013, 12:08 PM EDT

AP

In the aftermath of the jury’s decision to find George Zimmerman not guilty of murder or manslaughter charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, several NFL players took to Twitter to share their reactions.

Falcons wide receiver Roddy White had one of the most notable responses. He sent out a tweet asking “what kind of world” we live in and recommended that the jurors in the case “go home and kill themselves.” White’s words, like Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz’s prediction that Zimmerman won’t last a year before “the hood catches up with him,” were construed by many as inflammatory at a moment when there was a fear that the verdict would lead to unrest.

They were also emotional responses to an event that has had a significant place in American culture since the fateful night when Zimmerman shot Martin. White touched on that when he made an apology Sunday for his suggestion to the jurors.

I understand my tweet last nite was extreme. I never meant for the people to do that. I was shocked and upset about the verdict. I am sorry.

There’s a lesson here about making public statements while still emotionally riled up, even if you can understand and/or empathize with the anger of the person making it. Inviting other people to kill themselves for fulfilling a civic obligation because you don’t agree with their decision is a bad road to go down and the light of day seems to have reminded White of that fact.

Fortunately we live in a world where you have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime has been committed. Justice for trayvon isn’t sending a man we can’t prove didn’t kill him out of self defence, to jail. Justice for Trayvon should be repealing the laws that allows a man to shoot someone in the face if they “feel threatened.” namely the Stand Your Ground law. Unfortunately the NRA is all for the Stand your ground law, so the media has played up the “black vs white” platform. Its the equivalent of pointing to a tree and going “look everyone, it’s on fire!” Meanwhile the whole damn forest is on fire. Change the laws or this will happen again, and again, and again.

Anger is a terrible response. Instead ask how I can be better parents and Americans. Just because you don’t like the result of the verdict doesn’t mean you don’t have equality. The jury made the decision. Disappointment is fine, but acceptance and improvement is the next step.

BTW, a simple rule has saved me from putting my foot in my mouth many times. That is always wait 48 hours before responding, or hitting send, when you are about to respond in the heat of emotion. Works like a charm!

Perhaps White was following the case closly, but I’ll bet most people awning out these kinds of notes about “justice” did not see all the evidence presented. There’s a reason we prefer to have juries decide based on the entire body of evidence and their deliberations, as opposed to commentators who have a political agenda. Anyone who has sat on a jury knows people can change their minds when other people discuss how they construed the same evidence.

Roddy White should not have done what he did when he talked about people killing themselves. The NFL is under a microscope because one of its players may be a serial killer. Those who earn millions of dollars a year should appreciate where their paychecks are coming from.

Prosecution botched the case badly. They should have presented a bare bones case, proving only that Zimmerman shot Martin, and introducing the 911 calls that were made. They should not have introduced the Hannity interview or any of the witnesses poking holes in that theory until after the defense case. They could have dune that in rebuttal.

That would have forced the defense to put Zimmerman on the stand to assert self-defense. The defense would not have been allowed to introduce the Hannity interview as evidence, no judge would have allowed it.

I can’t believe that this has become a national issue with all the murders that occur every day, must be a slow news cycle.

My beef with this is the fact that it is such a racial issue and only one side is deemed acceptable. It’s hard not to notice “black” athletes are the only ones taking issue publicly with this case. But god forbid if anyone or a white person came out with an opinion in Zimmerman’s support, that person would be nailed to the cross and crucified.

In response to Marcus Vick’s comment I think he is right, I do value the life of my dog more that of Travon Martin, he is my best friend and smarter than him and most people for that matter. For him to say that goes to show he our Michael likely have no remorse for what they did. The fact that they killed dogs is likely viewed as an inconvenience they got caught instead of true remorse for the crime they committed.

He’s not sorry that he felt that way. He’s only sorry that people had a negative reaction to what he said. I can’t stand when these guys say something and then just a few hours later say they didn’t mean it. We all know you meant it but now wish you hadn’t shared it publicly.

The great thing about America is the 1st Amendment allows you to express your opinion, no matter how dumb it is.

I lost all respect for Roddy White, he is a mental midget no matter how well he catches a football. Karma is about to exact some revenge for his level of stupidity and the sad part is that the rest of his Falcon teammates will have to collectively pay that price. In the end, you can’t say White is undeserving of that.

Funny how when people said stuff like this after the OJ trial they were lambasted but I guess that’s because they were white and racists. Remember gentlemen only white people(except A.Baldwin) can be racists in our society. Everyone else just makes a mistake.

All color aside anyone defending Zimmermans actions should follow him straight to hell and I’d have to say you sound twice as stupid as any athlete who commented but nobody cares who you idiots are so your stupidity will go unnoticed.

The simple fact is that people of all races have been very emotional about their feeling regarding this case. I don’t believe that Zimmerman was in any way a racist but think that Zimmerman simply killed a 17 year old kid that wasn’t in the act of committing any crime but just seemed suspicious at the time. maybe the fact that he was black and wearing a hoodie had a lot to do with the suspicion, since most of the crimes that were committed in the same neighborhood previously had been committed by young black men. I can understand Zimmerman’s reaction if he saw the kid actually stealing something but simply walking around in any neighborhood in the country should not provoke someone to start chasing the suspect and end up killing him even if it was self defense.
I believe in gun rights 100% but don’t believe anyone but cops should be allowed to carry guns outside their homes. when you have a gun on you, any simple argument can turn deadly. with all that said, Zimmerman killed a person even if it was self defense by putting himself in a very dangerous situation and should pay for that by serving some jail time even if its a much lesser charge.

This case was over after jury selection when the prosecution couldn’t get six, emotional, prejudiced African-Americans into the jury box. In truth, the trial should have never seen the light of day. Sharpton, Jackson, Oprah, the ACLU, et al, thru mainstream media, bullied this case into a courtroom despite a weak case, witness testimony supporting the accused, and a beaten and bloodied accuser.

I’m sick and tired of those who make race a part of every disagreement in the news. Zimmerman is Hispanic, Martin is black. The only thing important or, in my opinion, interesting, is that a young man is dead and a man who could have probably called 911 and left it at that, saving life and himself a lot of trouble in court and with the incredibly uninformed electorate in America. I just wish that we could make this about the issues rather than making race the issue. Wrong is wrong no matter what color it comes in, so is right. “People are people” and the only way we are going to get to the point where that statement actually means something is if we stop making everything about the color of our skin or our religion or social class. Enough is enough! A young man died and it could have been obviated.

The simple fact is that people of all races have been very emotional about their feeling regarding this case. I don’t believe that Zimmerman was in any way a racist but think that Zimmerman simply killed a 17 year old kid that wasn’t in the act of committing any crime but just seemed suspicious at the time. maybe the fact that he was black and wearing a hoodie had a lot to do with the suspicion, since most of the crimes that were committed in the same neighborhood previously had been committed by young black men. I can understand Zimmerman’s reaction if he saw the kid actually stealing something but simply walking around in any neighborhood in the country should not provoke someone to start chasing the suspect and end up killing him even if it was self defense.
I believe in gun rights 100% but don’t believe anyone but cops should be allowed to carry guns outside their homes. when you have a gun on you, any simple argument can turn deadly. with all that said, Zimmerman killed a person even if it was self defense by putting himself in a very dangerous situation and should pay for that by serving some jail time even if its a much lesser charge.”

Whether you agree with the verdict or not, justice was served here. There was no evidence that disputed zimmermans self defense claim. Everyone protesting the verdict should instead focus their protests towards getting rid of the stand your ground law and tighten the gun carry permit requirements.. This case should have never seen the inside of a courtroom. Like it or not, the evidence was never there to secure a successful prosecution. Waste of taxpayers money. We can thank the media for turning it into a racially charged witch hunt.

If you followed the case you aren`t surprised at the verdict. ALL the evidence points to Zimmerman protecting himself . Of course the media as usual portrays the young black man as the victim. It`s a shame he had to die but the evidence points that he had a hand in his own death.

Yes he should not of said it. I like his apology not only because he apologized but he admitted he thought still that the verdict was wrong which I do too but that is are law same reason Casey Anthony got away with it. unless you see someone actually doing it everyone gets away even if they did do it. So I don’t blame the jurors they had to say not guilty they did not see him do it but I bet you any money they thought it but that doesn’t count and it shouldn’t. I do think he should hide a bit like Anthony because a lot of people think he got off free as a bird when he didn’t have to do what he did. I hope to god he never becomes a cop and if he does its in florida not where i live. He did something wrong its just we can’t convict him. I don’t care what color you are there are people that think this. I am white and have no prejudice against any color

Heres the thing. Roddy White just showed everyone that he is a racist. That pretty much sums it up. Now he is trying to backpedal on his comments so people don’t think he is a racist. Well, you can’t put the crap back in the horse.

I am shocked at how many black racists there are who are in the spotlight. I always thought some folks were a little bit extreme for their cause, but this verdict, and the reaction from black players and other black leaders makes me think we have a real problem in this country. We have reversed roles from the 1950’s south.

What do these bone heads know about the case, the facts, the evidence, the verdict? Nothing. Not one damned thing other than “it has to be wrong since the white man went free”. Play football and keep your mouths shut cuz you don’t know anything about the facts of the case. And by the way, no one cares what you think because, again, you don’t know anything about it. Sick to football.

White is another NFL “fool” who shows his true self buy shooting off his mouth based purely on emotion with no brain power behind it, then retracts the comment after his public relations “handlers” talk him back off the cliff. He is who he is, a victim of himself and a fool who needs to think before he speaks, if that’s possible for him.

Perfect example of how you can judge some of these NFL trouble makers. Just because you have millions in the bank doesn’t mean you’re a great person it just means you’re more of what you were before you got paid.

Not one statement off race or “racial” injustice stated by RODDY WHITE.. It was an emotional statement of truth…. And any human who cares about injustice should be just as vocal… If you are ignorant enough to fire shots at Roddy White, the NFL,the Falcons team to create a racial spin…dig deep within yourself and determine if racism has laid dormant in you. Strangely enough it is presenting itself now !…TAKE RACE OUT OF THIS! Roddy White is a human! … with beliefs, rights and opinions. It takes a person with his kind of influence to express how millions of white, black, asian and hispanic people feel around the world . Look at what one tweet can do, now how can we leverage that power to bring back balance to this world. I am in full support of him being emotional. We should be. His comment humanized him and made him real… RODDY WHITE IS MORE THAN A PLAYER, HE IS A MAN OF PURPOSE… WILL THERE BE ANOTHER..

Not that Roddy White cares, but I used to like this dude. Zimmerman was a fool for pursuing, but if he thought he was going to die at the hands of Martin he had every right to pull the trigger. As a black man that studies law, there just wasn’t a case here. To hear from black athlete after black athlete how horrible this verdict is disappoints me. Whether they like it or not, they are fanning the flames of hate. Maybe he should study the facts, because if you can’t make an informed statement don’t make one at Roddy.

Roddy White has a camp for kids. The man loves young people of course he was disturbed by the verdict. He genuinely loves young people. It happened get over direct your attention to something worth complaining over. Gosh people!

It’s absolutely pathetic to read posts like this that completely butcher the English language (American language). Does anybody in this country actually know how to write a paragraph without 50 grammatical errors? I’m with you, I’m sick and tired of watching American citizens continue to dumb down common, rudimentary English composition. It’s infuriating and a sad indictment on the American public school system.

Like OJ’s acquittal back in 1995 the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonal doubt that OJ had killed 2 white people (Nicole Brown & a male friend Goldman). White people including the victims’ family had to live with OJ walking off. Sure we protested but we didn’t threatened to kill OJ because he was acquitted. The prosecution could not prove without a reasonable doubt that OJ. Had committed the crime.

This Zimmerman case is the same. The prosecution failed to prove that Zimmerman did not commit the crime in self defence. People should accept the verdict the same way as we had to accept OJ’s not guilty verdict back then.